Archive for the ‘Colorado Christian Writers Conference’ Category

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.Psalm 118:29 TLB

Yes, Father, I am more than thankful. Indeed, words can’t begin to express my gratitude for all You have done, are doing, and will do.

Thank You for my family and friends, for my home and health, for freedom to worship and serve You . . .

Thank You for 34 years of ministry and for providing a new vision and new home for the Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference. And thank You for the added blessing that Dock Mennonite Academy is only ten minutes from my home!

Thank You for the wonderful staff at the YMCA of the Rockies, Estes Park, Colorado. Bless John, Brenda, Lori and their teams for how they go the extra mile, and then some. Thank You for the thousands of writers You have enabled us to encourage and equip in our 20 years of ministry there.

Thank You for the opportunity to direct the new “Write to Impact Lives Conference” with The Munce Group in Lancaster, PA, February 9-10. (The Munce Group offers numerous marketing programs and services to help bookstores target their customers and to simplify their job as independent Christian retailers. Conferees have the option of staying for one or more days of the Munce Christian Product Expo February 11-13.)

Thank You for the critique groups that meet in my home and for the joy of editing Becky Toews’, Between the Lamp Posts, 365-day devotional, and Louise Looney’s, The Best of Days for The Rest of Your Days.

Father, keep us mindful of Your blessings not just at Thanksgiving but throughout the year. And “make us a blessing.”

Okay, it’s yellow not gold. And it’s really not an egg, but it is egg-shaped and it did hold eggs that have now hatched. I don’t know how many baby birds are inside, but they sure make a lot of noise. And they keep Mom and Dad really busy with their need to be fed.I’m fascinated as I watch their parents fly in and out of the nest with morsels of food. They don’t appear to grow weary or annoyed by the needs they must meet. Their life’s focus is to care for their young until they are strong enough to be pushed out of the nest.

The instincts God has placed within His creatures amaze me. They simply do what they were created to do.

What about us? Father has given us the gift of emotions and the freedom to choose how we will respond to the needs around us. His Word encourages us to:

Feed the flock of God; care for it willingly,
not grudgingly;
not for what you will get out of it
but because you are eager to serve the Lord.
1 Peter 5:2 TLB

Father, I pray for myself and for those You have called to “write Your answer.” Help us to focus not on what we will get but on what we can give. Show us how to write words to meet the needs of our readers. Give us strength to persevere when we question whether we’re really making a difference.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Do you long to find editors and agents that are hungry for the “food” you have prepared?

Have you written a book but don’t know how to get it published?

Do you have a book in print that is not selling?

Are you faithfully writing a blog but getting few visitors?

The Colorado and Greater Philly “Write His Answer” conferences provide the help you need.

And it’s not too late to register for the July 26-29 Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference. I’ve extended the early registration date to JUNE 30. In addition, everyone who registers through June 30 will receive an additional free 15-minute appointment. For those who come all three days (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday), that’s FIVE appointments. Come two days and you get FOUR appointments, and one day and get THREE appointments.

If you were at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference two weeks ago, you probably heard me pray for my five pin oak trees that have bacterial leaf scorch. Yes, I pray about everything! And yes, I believe God can heal my trees!

Of course, I’m concerned about the $10,000 (that we don’t have) that it would cost to take them down. But it’s much more than money that has created such a strong bond between me and trees. The story below was first printed in The War Cry and has been accepted for reprinting by Live.

Embraced by a Tree

Two immense silver maple trees in the front yard sheltered the house I lived in until I was fourteen years old. They were my special friends.

When my mother threatened to call the police to come and take me away because I was a “naughty little girl,” I’d run outside and lean against one of my trees. Its branches seemed to embrace me with a love that I never knew from either of my parents.

My father was constantly in and out of the hospital. He seldom talked to me. When he did, his words were like hammer blows to my already fragile self-esteem. The beatings from his large fists often sent me flying. Even more painful than the welts his hand left on my face, was the way Mother (she didn’t like me to call her Mom) never intervened. “It’s all your fault,” she’d say. “If you’d be good, this wouldn’t have to happen.” But it kept happening, again and again.

When my father got a blood clot in his leg, I remember Mother’s warning: “You’d better be good! If you’re not, if you get your father upset, the blood clot can go to his heart and kill him.”

For weeks I tried to be very good, but I was gripped by the fear that I wasn’t good enough. I often mounted my bicycle, hoping to ride to the far end of the world. Instead, I’d end up at the forest preserve nearby where I’d walk deep into the woods. I never worried about getting lost. The trees of the forest were also my friends. When I heard that girls had been raped and murdered not far from my woods, I was frightened. But Mother knew where I was going and never stopped me. Doesn’t she care if something happens to me? I wondered.

My father died of a heart attack when I was ten. “You can be glad you were a good girl the last few days so you don’t have to feel guilty,” Mother said. But I knew I hadn’t been a good girl, and now it was too late. Perhaps she sensed my remorse.

“Give him a kiss and tell him you loved him,” she urged me as we stood before the open coffin.

I was terrified. “I can’t.”

“You can’t! What’s the matter with you?” Her voice and eyes were accusing. “People will think you didn’t love your father.”

“Mother, please. Please don’t make me,” I pleaded.

For the next year I had horrible nightmares. I begged Mother to let me sleep with her. Sometimes she gave in, but it didn’t help. I needed her to hold me and comfort me, but she always turned her back to me. I laid beside her wide awake, listening to her breathing and worrying every time its rhythm changed. Suppose she died too!

Mother remarried when I was fourteen. But life with my stepfather, Harry, was even worse. Why didn’t Mother tell him to leave me alone? But she didn’t, blaming me for the beatings and other abuse. I remember sitting under one of my trees all night, afraid to be alone on the streets and afraid to stay in the house.

On my wedding I had no regrets about moving a thousand miles away. When I became pregnant, I missed Mother. I was sure she’d come when my baby was born, but she didn’t.

A year later Mother was diagnosed with a mental illness. Even knowing that she probably couldn’t help the way she treated me, I continued to be hurt by the things she did.

When my thirteen-year-old half-sister came to live with us because Harry was sexually abusing her, Mother was angry at me for taking her “baby” away from her. She blamed me for breaking up her “happy home.”

When Harry died, Mother was on the verge of another breakdown. She was so confused she couldn’t even lock and unlock the front door of her house. Obviously she couldn’t live alone. I finally convinced Mother to come east. By then she was so mentally unstable that I had no choice but to put her in a mental hospital. Tests revealed that in addition to being bipolar, Mother had an illness similar to Alzheimer’s. Doctors urged me to put her in a personal care home. But I knew Mother could still function, with support, in an apartment. A geriatric counselor agreed and helped me to see what tasks could be done by others so I wouldn’t become consumed by Mother’s care.

Now the roles were reversed. I had to give Mother the things she failed to give me—attention, affection, love.

Mother, who signed my birthday card, “From Mabel,” complained about me to anyone who would listen. Unappreciative, mistrustful, she continued to reject me. Some days I wondered why I didn’t take the “easy” way out and put her in a home. Was I being a martyr? No, I concluded, I’m doing what I must do for my mother.

On Mother’s Day I didn’t want to be with her, but I couldn’t leave her alone in her apartment so I took her out to dinner. Mother complained about her potatoes. They were too cold. Her chicken was too done. She didn’t like the salad dressing. Nothing pleased her!

I remembered how Mother’s psychiatrist had recommended that I think of her simply as an old woman who needed my help. “Don’t think of her as your mother; call her Mabel.” His words didn’t help.

Once I visited a friend whose mother had Alzheimer’s. I watched Peggy comb her mother’s hair and give her a hug. Her mother smiled and kissed her cheek. Why can’t it be that way between me and my mother? I wondered.

“It hurts so much,” I told God one evening as I sat on my porch. I looked up at the tree in my backyard and wished I could draw comfort and strength from it as I did when I was a child. I remembered a fragment of a poem I memorized in school—something about only God being able to make a tree.

I thought of Jesus—how His hands and feet were nailed to a tree in order that my sins might be forgiven. He kept reaching for me when I kept rejecting Him, loving me when I was unlovable.

Suddenly I knew that because He first loved me, I could love Mother no matter how she treated me. “Love,” He reminded me “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (l Corinthians 13:7, RSV).

A gentle breeze stirred the beginnings of forgiveness within my spirit. “I want to forgive you, Mother,” I whispered. “I still love you.”

~ *~ * ~ * ~

My concern for trees continued at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference (CDs are available) where the lodgepole pines and aspen trees that were just leafing out were blanketed with 41″ of snow. I thought for sure many wouldn’t survive. But amazingly, the next morning, with the temperature only in the low 40s, they were standing straight and tall free of the snow that had weighed them down. “That’s because they are closer to the sun at the 8,000 some foot elevation,” I reasoned. Then I thought of the burdens that had been weighing me down. “Stay close to the Son,” I felt Father speak to my spirit. “Then the burden won’t be too heavy.”

Glitches I didn’t anticipate and can’t easily fix. But HE IS FAITHFUL!

Unwelcome surprises like the tick that made a home in my ear for over two days. And yes, it was a deer tick – the kind that causes Lyme’s Disease. I’ve gotten an anti-biotic from the doctor. And I’m trusting that HE IS FAITHUL.

Details that are overwhelming and that must be nailed down – like lodging, picking up faculty from the airport, assigning classrooms, preparing the packet and daily schedule . . . But Father isn’t overwhelmed. HE IS FAITHFUL.

Exhaustion and a weak knee that has given out on me twice in the last month making it first impossible and then very painful to walk. Today I got a hinged knee brace that I’m trusting will help because HE IS FAITHFUL. (Yes, this year’s conference will literally be more of a “faith walk” then usual.)

His faithful promises are my armor (Psalm 91:4 TLB). Yours, too, if you choose to put it on. (Click here for “Put on the Armor,” a chapter from my book, Write His Answer – A Bible Study for Christian Writers.)

When I am weak, then I am strong—
the less I have [including time to meet deadlines
and to conquer a seemingly impossible to-do list]
the more I depend on him.
2 Corinthians 12:10 TLB

Thank You, Father, for Your faithfulness!

A few updates:

It’s not too late to register online or to walk in. Register through tomorrow, May 10, and submit your appointment request form (available after you register) and Barb Haley will pre-schedule your appointments. After May 10, you’ll be able to sign up for appointments when you arrive.

WITH SPIRITUAL DNA FOR WORLD MISSIONS, STORYTELLER FINDS FERTILE FIELD IN HOLLYWOOD

“I am so looking forward to D.J.’s keynote as well as the other keynotes. We have an outstanding faculty. Thank You, Father!

Our 16-page brochure will be off press tomorrow. If we have your USPS address, you should receive it early next week. The brochure is also available online, and online registration is open. Remember, the earlier you register, the better opportunity you have to get your top appointment picks. Plus, the first 75 to register to get an additional free 15-minute appointment. Register for:

Remember – HE IS FAITHFUL!

Nonfiction is by far the most popular and strongest selling genre in publishing (both secular and Christian). With all that demand, why can it be so difficult to capture a publisher’s interest in your real-life story of God’s work? The short answer . . . nonfiction stories are a much smaller niche.” ~ Craig Bubeck

My friend, Craig Bubeck, is offering a 3-hour workshop on Wednesday, May 17, from 2:15 – 5:45 (with a 30 -minute break) at the Colorado Christian Writers Conference. Craig is a professional editor and writer who has served for 20 years in the CBA retail industry as publishing director and in senior-level acquisitions editorial with publishers such as Wesleyan Publishing House, David C. Cook, Victor Books, and Scripture Press. In the span of his career he was directly responsible for the successful publication of more than 200 retail books. Simultaneously with his publishing career, for 25 years Craig has taught college English writing, rhetoric, and literature at colleges and universities wherever he has lived.

I’m very excited about Craig’s workshop. I’ve known him for many years and highly respect him and his skill as an editor and teacher. A description of his workshop is below. I have no doubt it will be worth much more than the cost of only $40.

It’s not too late to register for Craig’s workshop or for one or more days of the conference. With 8 continuing sessions and 42 workshops (plus the 16 early bird workshops on Wednesday) there really is something for brand new writers who have not yet been published (or even submitted a manuscript) as well as professionals who need the encouragement and networking opportunities the conference offers. Those who register for Thursday through Saturday get four free 15-minute appointments with our faculty of 56 agents, editors, and authors. Partial scholarships for those with financial needs and/or time payments are still available.

Transforming Nonfiction
for Ears that Will Hear

Nonfiction is by far the most popular and strongest selling genre in publishing (both secular and Christian). With all that demand, why can it be so difficult to capture a publisher’s interest in your real-life story of God’s work? The short answer . . . nonfiction stories are a much smaller niche. (To learn how to connect with the nonfiction story market, check out Marti Pieper’s “Master the Memoir” [E4 from 1:00 – 2:00 on Wednesday] and the Sloans’ “Narrative and Nonfiction” [2D on Thursday afternoon].)

But if you are more interested in communicating a message, join us in this extended, in-depth, practical workshop as we explore why and how to transform a narrative nonfiction (your personal experience story or memoir) into the kind of topical nonfiction that has the broadest market appeal (and impact). This workshop is also a good transition and lead into Janis Whipple’s “Organizing and Outlining a Nonfiction Book” (3D on Friday afternoon). The truth God has revealed to you is important, but how you package the truth (how you incarnate it) for audiences can be the greatest and most rewarding challenge of God’s calling.

Please pray about joining us on the mountain. I know Father is going to meet us there!

ESTES PARK. CO (ANS – April 17, 2017) — Today’s writers aspire to do more than entertain or inform, they want to change lives. Attendees of the Colorado Christian Writers Conference, May 17-20, at YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, CO will hear cutting-edge speakers to help them do just that. They will also have opportunities to interact with editors and publishing representatives to move their writing to publication.

A faculty of 56 editors, writers and literary agents will present 42 workshops and 15 Early Bird workshops, including a 3.5 hour session on “Jumpstart Your Publishing Dream,” “Scrivener from 0 to 60,” and “Advanced Fiction Writing.” The conference also includes eight continuing sessions, keynote addresses, intensive clinics and a special “Teens Write!” program on Saturday.

“The world of publishing changes continually to keep in step with our culture,” said Marlene Bagnull, who has directed the conference for 20 years. “Writers have more options, including independent publishing, online venues and social media opportunities. We’ve designed the conference to touch on as many areas of today’s publishing as possible, while still feeding the Christian writer’s soul through times of worship, opportunities to talk to other writers and editors, and all in the beautiful surroundings of the Rockies.”

Keynote messages include “Storytelling that Inspires Change,” by D. J. Williams. He will also teach a continuing session on creating a roadmap to create a cause-driven novel or screenplay. Another continuing session, “Writing that Changes Lives,” is taught by Bill Watkins, award-winning author and senior editor at Broadstreet Publishing Group.
Writers will be inspired by keynote speaker Louise Looney, author of five books who was first published when she was 79-years-old, as she speaks on “Opening Doors.” Other keynotes include “Courage for Dry Bones” by Carol Award winner Terry Brennan, and “Undaunted” by full-time author and speaker Tim Shoemaker.

For writers who apply and are accepted in advance, intensive clinics can be life-changing. They include a fiction clinic with Tracie Peterson, best-selling author of over 100 books; a nonfiction book clinic with Craig Bubeck, who is directly responsible for the publication of over 200 books; and a speakers clinic with Roy Hanschke, a 20-year plus veteran of Christian radio who has coached beginning and seasoned speakers for over 17 years.

About the writer: Becca Anderson is a freelance writer and editor based in Texas, and has had two books published — both as a direct result of attending the Colorado Christian Writers Conference. Her e-mail address is: banderson@cablelynx.com.

** You may republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net). Please also tell your friends and colleagues that they can get a complimentary subscription to ANS by going to the website and signing up there.

Do you feel called to “write His answer” and yet struggle with self-doubts?

Truthfully, through working with hundreds of writers through the years, I find that the those who have a message that needs to be published are the ones most likely to be crippled by self-doubts.

I shudder when I think of how many times I almost gave up because my self-doubts were so loud and insistent. Why would anyone want to read what I wrote? What made me think that I could write for the Lord? I wasn’t qualified! How could He possibly use someone who was only a high school graduate? I felt ashamed and woefully inadequate.

How it must have grieved the Lord when I failed to see
that the Cross turns my minus into a plus –
when I believed the lies of the evil one instead of His promises.

And how much time I wasted in my self-centered and selfish focus on my doubts instead of on the needs Father was calling me to address through the words He would give me if I would just trust Him.

I’m so grateful that I didn’t give up despite the deadly Ds of disappointments, doubts, and discouragement. And I continue to thank the Lord for my pastor who sent me to my first writers conference. That was over 40 years ago, and that conference changed my life!

Today I have the privilege and joy of directing not just one but two Christian writers conferences. Registration is now open for the July 26-29 Greater Philly Christian Writers Conference, our 34th year of ministry.

And it’s not too late to register for the May 17-20 Colorado Christian Writers Conferenceand to request free one-on-one appointments with the faculty of 56 agents, editors, and authors. It’s also not too late to apply for a clinic:

But do it now! (That’s a great motto for writers who are tempted to procrastinate.) The April 15 price has been extended through today, April 18.

Father, thank You for the ideas You have planted within us and for holding them and us safely in Your hands. Help us to believe, to really believe in You and the gifts You have entrusted to us and expect us to use to build Your Kingdom.

God never changes his mind
when he gives gifts
or when he calls someone.